Alistair Johnston believes that securing a win in Bergamo would be ‘massive’ for Celtic, as they look to claim a vital away victory in Northern Italy.

The Canadian internationalist spoke to Celtic TV following the squad’s arrival in Italy, where the Hoops are aiming for their first UEFA Champions League away win since Brendan Rodgers’ side triumphed in Belgium in 2017.

He said: “It would be massive for us. We’re looking at this format, with eight matches, and we’ve got three points from two games so far. I know people back home have probably run the numbers on what kind of points are needed to get through the stage.

“This is one of those matches where we know it’s not going to be easy. We’re facing a top team with European experience, but we’re not coming here thinking this is a free hit. We’re looking to build on that last match, where things got away from us against Dortmund.

“So, what can we change to get back to the level we know we can play at, something more like our first Champions League game (against Slovan Bratislava). If we can get a result here, it can really kick-start our campaign and get us back on track.

‘With five games left after this one, we’ll still have a lot to play for. That’s the exciting part for us – it’s a great opportunity tomorrow night.’

Johnston also reflected on the quality of Atalanta, who shocked the footballing world last season by defeating Bayer Leverkusen in Dublin to lift the Europa League, snapping the German side’s unbeaten season through an Ademola Lookman hat-trick.

He said: “It’s another big match for us, just like the last one. This is a team that has had great success, winning the Europa League last year, which is really impressive. So, we know it’s going to be a really difficult test for us.

“We’re familiar with their style of play – a lot of man-to-man marking. We watched them closely last year, especially in the later stages of the Europa League and the final against Leverkusen. That really opened a lot of people’s eyes to what they’re capable of.

“They’ve built a special group, won a European trophy, and now they’re in the Champions League, trying to make another name for themselves. It won’t be an easy task, but we’re ready for it. It’s a great opportunity for us to go to a tough European ground and hopefully get a result.”

Alistair Johnston speaks to Celtic TV ahead of Atalanta clash